Shoe-upper



(No Model.)

SHOE UPPER.

Patente@ une 6 N. ninas, Phwumogmpmf. wmngmm n.0.

` Urrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. JOYCE, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

vSHOE-nietige.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 259,166, dated June 6, 1882.

' -Application filed February 27,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: n

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. JOYCE, of New Haven, in the county. of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Shoe-Uppers; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1 a side view,laced; Fig. 2, side view, open; Figs. 3 and 4, diagrams to illustrate the improvement.

This invention relates to aniniproveinentin that class of shoes which are open at the side for the insertion of the foot, then buttoned or laced to securethe shoe upon the foot.

In the usual construction the opening is made on a single linethat is to say, the rear and front portions meet at the foxing where the slit begins, say, substantially as on the line a a. of Fig. 3-so that in opening the shoe for the insertion of the foot the front and rear portions are only spread, as seen in Fig. et, and to give this extent of opening-it is necessary that the slit or line of fastening shall be far to the front, for if it be to the rear, as on the ankie-line d l, Fig. 3, then it is still more difficult to insert the foot, because ofthe less freedom or yielding there' is given on the instep or heel line. Y

The object of this invention is to construct the upper so as to increase the side opening for the insertion of the foot, as well as to permit the fastening devices to be brought back to nearly the ankle-line; and the invention consists in a shoe provided with a side opening having two flaps separated at the foxin gline, so as to leave a space between the two on that line, the said iiaps adapted to be opened respectively to the front and rear, with a tongue between the two to close the lower part of the opening between the two flaps, as more fully hereinafter described.

A represents the foxin g, B the front portion, and C the rear portion, of the upper, atttached to the foxing in the usual manner; but instead of bringing the edges of the parts together at a single point on the foxin g, as heretofore constructed, and as shown at a, Fig. 3, Ileave the two parts detached, the one, B, secured onlyr to the point b, the other, C, secured only to the point el, the two parts left free to form flaps, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the two partsv provided with buttons, lacin gs, or any suitable securing device. v

By leaving the space between the points of connection b dion the lineot'` the foxing the two parts of the upper may be spread to proportionately greater extent than the previous construction, and as seen in Fig. 2, which affords greater facility for inserting the foot Aor removing the shoe from the foot. At the same time it permits the line of fastening to come far to the rear without any of the inconveniences experienced in the common cut of uppers in which the opening is made near the ankle-line. To illustrate this increased opening on the side in the previous construction, with the slit far forward, the opening is illustrated by the broken lines a e and a f; but if the openings be on the ankle-line d l, the openi ingis indicated by the broken lines d e, df.

By my improvement, which leaves the opening on the foxing as between. b d, the lines of opening are indicated by the broken lines b e, df, whereby it will be seen that the space of opening is very greatly increased, illustrated on thediagram by the triangular space bounded by the lines b d, d c, e b.

A tongue-piece, h, is inserted upon the inside at the foxing to extend up inside the flap, and it maybe made in the form of a bellowslike gore, the two ed ges attached respectively to the edges of the front and rear portions, as seen in Fig. 2, so as to fold with the flaps inside the shoe against the foot, which will prevent the admission of snow or water through the opening.

I prefer to lace the shoe by attaching a cord to'the lower edge of one part, as at m, Fig. 1, and interlacing it with button-studs on the two parts, as shown. To insure the drawing of the two parts close together at the foxing,

I introduce a stud or eye, n, on the tongue, or may be the foxing between the two parts, and below the point where the cord is attached, and run the cord first down around that stud or eye n, then interlacing it with the studs above. This will serve to draw the two parts close together against the tongue or near the flap.

I claim- 1. A shoe provided with :t side opening having the two parts or ztps B C, separated at the foxing-line and adapted to be opened respectively to the front and rear, with a tongue inside, substantially as described.

2. A shoe provided with a side opening having the two parts or'laps B C, separated at the foxing-line and adapted to be opened respectively to the front and rear, with it tonguepiece, h, extending up between the two flaps and connected at its front and rear edges to 15 the respective edges of the said aps and so as to fold inside the iiaps, substantially as described.

JOS. L. JOYCE. Witnesses:

J oHN E. EARLE, Jos. C. EARLE. 

